FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — It took seven people, 15 seconds and a fire extinguisher. With that, a seven-person crew from Pennsylvania made off with more than $60,000 in luxury goods from the Chanel store in the posh Tysons Galleria mall in northern Virginia back in June.
With organized retail theft a problem receiving increased attention nationwide, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis knows his wealthy northern Virginia jurisdiction is a target.
“I think it makes us very vulnerable. It’s not news to anyone that Fairfax County has a really world-class retail community,” Davis said. “That’s one of the reasons why our commitment to safety is so high.”
On Thursday, Davis highlighted recent successes the county has had in fighting those thefts. At a news conference, he announced the arrest of the alleged getaway driver in the Chanel heist, as well as arrest warrants for two others. He also posted video and screen grabs of four other suspects in the theft, which he hopes will lead to further arrests
Video of the theft shows one of the suspects spraying a fire extinguisher at a security guard as they enter the store. Charges against the suspects include assault with a caustic substance for discharging the fire extinguisher.
Police also announced arrests related to a separate crew that has targeted high-end retail stores in seven different states on both coasts. Deputy Police Chief Gregory Fried said members of this crew are responsible for at least $170,000 in losses across those seven states, including $35,000 in Fairfax County.
The issue of organized retail theft has received increased attention nationally. More than two dozen states have passed laws recently to combat the problem. Hard data on the issue is not easily obtained — last year the National Retail Foundation rescinded a claim in a report it issued that organized retail crime accounted for roughly half of lost inventory.
In Fairfax County, Davis said reported thefts have doubled from 2021 to 2023, from about 4,000 to more than 8,000.
But he said arrests have nearly tripled. As a result, he said that arrests were made in 70% of thefts in 2023, compared with 52% in 2021.
He also touted the importance of retailers doing what they can do to gather evidence, particularly video evidence, that helps police make arrests. He said some retailers are outfitting employees with body-worn camera similar to those worn by police.
While he said his agency is making theft arrests a priority, he said the judicial system needs to take the issue equally seriously. He expressed frustration with low bail amounts for suspects arrested for theft.
“It’s not little Johnny stealing a 3 Musketeers bar,” he said.
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